One of the biggest advantages of the use of nitrous oxide for labor analgesia is the significantly lower cost to administer compared to an epidural. In a recent article in the Birth journal, it was noted that the use of nitrous oxide is far less expensive and much simpler than epidural analgesia and does not result in complications requiring additional treatments and prolonged hospital stays. The use of nitrous could have major financial benefits for both Medicaid and private insurance companies. In 2004, the largest cost for these insurance entities was the cost to care for pregnant and laboring women which was reported to cost $41 billion. The most significant cost savings would be the reduction in anesthesia services. Currently average cost per patient for anesthesia staff coverage is 728 dollars. Average re-imbursement for a labor epidural placement is 385 dollars. Nitrous oxide does not require anesthesia staff to implement, saving health care dollars. After the initial investment of the nitrous oxide machine, the only additional cost would be the tubing and mask for the patient and the nitrous oxide and oxygen E-cylinders for delivery.